PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is expected to decide in today’s Cabinet meeting whether Boracay Island will be closed for six months starting April 26 to undergo a total rehabilitation as recommended by three government agencies, an official said Tuesday.
Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra the recommendation had already been submitted and would be discussed during the Cabinet meeting in Malacañang.
The final action on Boracay could be taken up there,” Guevarra said.
He made his statement even as Antique Gov. Rhodora Cadiao asked the Tourism Department to give priority to other tourist sites in the region in its promotional campaign in view of Boracay’s impending closure.
“Since Boracay is in Western Visayas, I ask that the [Tourism Department] promote other tourists destinations in the region,” Cadiao said Monday.
Guevarra did not disclose the content of the letter recommending what to do in Boracay, but he said Duterte will be firm in his decision to close down Boracay to make way for the island’s rehabilitation.
“We are working on it. That’s our top priority,” Guevarra said.
“The overwhelming consideration for the President really is to restore Boracay to its pristine condition.”
Guevarra said any short-term effect of the island’s closure would not outweigh the long-term benefits of the planned clean-up.
He said the administration could close down the island on the basis of the government’s exercise of police power.
The Office of the President earlier received an official communication from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Tourism recommending a six-month shutdown of Boracay starting April 26.
Guevarra said Malacañang was also considering a recommendation from the Trade department to shut down Boracay in stages. He said a key factor in any decision on Boracay was the economic impact of its closure on the workers and residents on the island. With PNA